Mysterious Ways by Meditating Dock Dweller

Speaking about mysterious ways. A purely personal non-sensual sharing about those unexpected expected surprises that we, all of a sudden, see happen in familial interactions.

An empty house and time for just me today — and the Dark Lord. A time to smile and think and even laugh. The weekend was, well, fun. Great Uncle Augustus was with us, along with his “driver,” Martha. He enjoys being chauffeured. And there was Evelyn, an equally interesting personage. And you wouldn’t know he was a male at all. On their way to the coast for two weeks or less or more. One never knows about Great Uncle Gus. He doesn’t have a sedentary lifestyle despite his age. He’s visiting friends in Wilmington and then off to a private poker stint at someone’s digs on the Outer Banks.

It’s fun watching drag queens in church. Especially when they are at ease and just being themselves as if they were two older women off with their male friends helping him to safely travel. Everyone seems to see them as two widows vying for Uncle Gus — It’s all a game of sorts everyone is playing. They are seen as two good friends (they are) enjoying life. The interaction with church members who have no idea the older women they are carrying on with during the fellowship time are guys.

Then some have to know but no one says a word. That’s the way it is. Everyone is glad you’re visiting or glad to meet you. We all went out after church, assembling at the usual buffet. No, Martha hasn’t had a boob job or into transitioning. She just has the attire to create that attractive-breasted persona. However, being honest, how would I know? No, I didn’t and won’t ask.

Other than Uncle Gus’ usual statement that he’s in the area to attend a poker game with friends (that isn’t always the case but makes for an excuse to avoid sharing the real reason for whatever he’s doing) he did bear gifts — I won’t go thru the list other than to say our daughter was on cloud nine with the gift card — Enough said. It was fun hearing him share.

He was traveling on business. He had updated his will and was bringing a copy to my husband, sealed in a large manila envelope to be placed in our safe deposit box. He hid himself away with my husband and they talked. I’m not aware of that conversation — probably under the seal of the confessional one might say — that’s the way it is at times. Things shared are best left alone for any number of reasons.

But there were several interesting tidbits. One was my husband being told that my husband’s errant sister and her husband were reunited. Needless to say, I was surprised to hear the clap-ridden duo had done so. I had assumed that marriage was over but, again, I’m the “ass” for assuming. Uncle Gus looked like a conspirator of sorts sharing the news. We discovered he went to visit my husband’s family, the scene of “events” before he arrived here.

Of course, my husband sees the reuniting of his sister with her husband, etc as an answer to prayer. He knows there are issues and will be. However, the marriage is saved. Why do I have this feeling that there is more to the story especially since Great Uncle Augustus acted as if he was simply sharing family news but had that twinkle in his eye, that brief smile that speaks volumes but passes quickly? For you see:

It appears my SIL’s lover, he who started her “fall from grace,” has suddenly left town, departed the area, gone, not around anymore and my SIL has seen the light and her husband also. They are, according to our aged Great Uncle on a second (or whatever number) honeymoon, having seen the light and realizing they have a daughter and still love each other. Of course, we wanted the juicy details. What caused this sudden change of events?

I knew there was a sinister hand involved when Augustus shared that, of all things, my SIL’s primary lover walked out of The Randy Rod, the name I give to one of those lakeside southern watering holes back home where you hear the crying jukebox or the area band who has a sort of standing gig and “everybody knows your name.”

Everyone was made aware real problems were on the horizon when someone walked in and told the errant lover that someone had put one of those double-headed lumberjack’s axes thru the driver’s side of his windshield, a sure sign that some serious shit was coming down. Then there was the goat’s head that was found on his front porch, another sign that bad mojo was in the works and it might be good to hire a food taster.

Then there was the funeral bouquet along with a sympathy card inscribed “Rest in peace.” Supposedly the last straw was a sort of double whammy: a box seemingly from Amazon containing a very real bull’s testicles along with a scalpel. Then a call at work to tell the guy the double garage and shop behind his house was on fire.

Of course, the local volunteer fire department arrived on the scene. Known for never losing a chimney, they conveyed the sad news that it was a total loss. Having witnessed these sure signs it was time to move on, he did. That wasn’t the total account of events. Whatever? My hubby laughed when all this was shared and I have to wonder — It was the way he laughed.

I’m surprised that Aunt Jo wasn’t involved. Who’s to say she wasn’t? I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know and she wouldn’t say if she was if I did. She would simply smile and credit “the Beyond” and His mysterious ways.

So we wait to see what happens with the quick-to-forgive “happy” couple. Hopefully, things will turn out as they did for my Yankee cousin Mindy, now happily married to an Anglican priest – they now reside in the Midwest and my husband shares he was glad but hoped God would guide them to Fiji or somewhere in Africa, etc. He told me he feared we hadn’t heard the last from her.

There was more family news, of course, but these come to mind. Again, I smile. There are things to do and places to go today. Enough said. Forgive the usual flaws, this is all so off the cuff. The illustration comes from the usual source. Ave Obscurum Dominum.